GREENFIELD — As the big box truck rolls into the Hancock County Fairgrounds parking lot, some volunteers say a quiet prayer of thanks.
Liz Rusche credits the Lord as well as Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana for having a mobile food pantry drive food into the county to serve those who might otherwise go hungry.
A couple times a month for the past few years, a Gleaners truck has driven into the fairgrounds carrying an estimated 10,000 pounds of food.
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Dozens of people await their turn sitting in folding chairs inside the sheep barn, waiting for their number to be called. When it is, a volunteer takes them past table after table of food, as they select from an assortment of frozen meats, canned goods, pantry staples and fresh vegetables.
They then wheel the food away to their car and return the rolling cart, and the process starts all over again as the next number is called.
About 150 people acquire food from the standard mobile pantry events each month, while the senior pantries serve about 130 people a month.
The mobile pantry is brought in by Gleaners to complement the service provided by the Hancock County Food Pantry, a brick-and-mortar pantry at 741 S. State St. in Greenfield.
Over the past six months, the “classic” mobile food pantry — available to all clients — visited the fairgrounds the second Monday each month from October through March.
From April through September, it will make its way into Fortville the fourth Saturday each month, at the Hancock Physician Network office at 600 Vitality Drive.
On the first Tuesday of each month, Gleaners brings a “senior” mobile pantry to the fairgrounds just for those 55 and older.
The mobile pantries help supplement the food that’s already provided within the county by the Hancock County Food Pantry, which serves roughly 700 clients each month.
While some clients may overlap, the mobile pantry may often serve a different set of clients than the food pantry, said Rusche, such as those who may not feel comfortable going into the pantry’s building on State Street.
“Coming to the fairgrounds may be more convenient or may be at a better time, or they may be more at ease coming into a big area like the fairgrounds,” said Rusche.
She credits the generosity of both Gleaners and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, who recently pledged $1.5 million over three years to support Gleaners’ programming, for helping serve the under-served.
She’s also thankful that the 4-H Ag Association provides use of the fairgrounds for the mobile pantry events.
“It’s been a huge blessing for us. It’s just awesome for our clients,” she said. “It’s very convenient and very accessible for older people who have trouble with stairs. It’s just ideal.”
The parking lot has been recently paved and the sheep barn where the food is distributed is heated. It can be cooled by opening up the big doors in the summer.
Rusche speaks passionately about those she’s helped serve while volunteering at the Hancock County Food Pantry, like a widow whose income teeters right at the poverty line, or another woman, who is 103, and despite limited vision lives alone. There’s a number of people who need help right here in Hancock County, she said.
Rusche’s mother taught her the joy of serving and loving others through the gift of food.
“My mother always taught me to love on people and to feed them. It’s just a passion of mine. I love to cook and to share food,” she said.
Steve Davis, a rural service manager for Gleaners, is thankful for volunteers like Rusche who make the mobile pantries possible in counties throughout the state.
“We try to identify communities where we think there is a food desert, then we bring in some food and try to partner with people in the community that may want to open a pantry. We have stats that tell us counties that might have a need,” he said.
Davis said the mobile pantries are packed with both fresh and “shelf stable” foods, ideally those that can be used together to prepare balanced, nutritious meals.
Based on the big turnouts at the mobile pantry events, the service appears to be meeting a need.
Participation has grown over the years for both the classic mobile pantries, which started in 2010, and the senior mobile pantries, which started in 2015, he said.
According to Gleaners, there’s a 7 percent poverty rate in Hancock County. There are an estimated 6,900 food-insecure people living in the county, including 2,440 children.
Gleaners works with about 25 local pantries, schools, soup kitchens and multiple community organizations in the county to provide nearly 363,937 meals annually.
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Gleaners classic mobile pantry schedule:
Fourth Saturday each month
April-September, 10 a.m. to noon (except May 30), 600 Vitality Drive, Fortville
Gleaners senior mobile pantry schedule:
First Tuesday each month
1-3 p.m., Hancock County Fairgrounds, 620 Apple St., Greenfield
Mobile Pantry distributions are weather-permitting and subject to change, so check online for updates.
For more information on the Gleaners mobile food pantries and food scarcity in Hancock County, visit gleaners.org.
For information on the Hancock County Food Pantry, visit HancockCountyFoodPantry.com
Hancock County Food Pantry
741 S. State St., Greenfield
Monday: 1-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 9-10:30 a.m. and 6 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 7-8 p.m.
Thursday: 7-8 p.m.
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